Rutgers University
Howard
MBB Rolls Past Howard, 82-70
Nov 15 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Junior forward Deshawn Freeman shot 7-of-11 to score 17 points and freshman guard Corey Sanders made 4-of-7 field goals to post 15 points in his first collegiate game to help Rutgers (2-0) to an 82-70 win over Howard on Sunday afternoon at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights dished-out 18 assists for a second consecutive contest and out-rebounded the Bison 42-31 in the "Men Who Speak Up Main Event" opening round game.
Sanders added five assists and Freeman grabbed seven rebounds off the bench as the Scarlet Knights established a 41-16 advantage in bench points.
Forward D.J. Foreman joined the newcomers in double figures, scoring 11 points with eight rebounds. The sophomore also threw down a thunderous slam dunk off a Bishop Daniels helper to bring the truncated pyramid to its feet in the final minutes.
Rutgers shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56), but struggled from behind the arc, making just 14.3 percent (2-of-14) from long range. Howard deposited 43.6 percent (24-of-55) of its field goals, and made just 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from three-point range. Fifty-six fouls were whistled in the contest leading to a combined 80 free throw attempts.
Both team started in sluggish fashion in an opening half that featured three ties and three early lead changes. With the game tied at 10, Rutgers went on an 11-3 run, but the Bison responded, drawing within one, 27-26. Eight of the final nine points off the half, however, belonged to RU, as it entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 35-27 advantage.
Rutgers held a single digit lead for the first half of the second stanza, as a stubborn Bison squad remained within striking distance. An 8-1 run, however, pushed the Scarlet Knights' lead to 14 (58-44) and the home squad never looked back.
RU established two 16-point advantages in the final minutes before completing the 12-point win before an appreciative home crowd.
The Scarlet Knights return to the hardwood Thursday (Nov.19) at Carnesecca Arena versus St. John's in the inaugural Gavitt Games. The contest tips-off at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Postgame Notes
• Rutgers had 18 assists for the second consecutive game. The last time that Rutgers had at least 18 assists in back-to-back games was in 2005, when RU had 25 assists against St. Thomas Aquinas (December 12) and 26 assists against Maine (December 15).
• Rutgers starts the season 2-0 for the first time since 2009-2010.
• Corey Sanders made his collegiate debut. He scored 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting with a team-high five assists.
• Deshawn Freeman led the team with 17 points on 7-of-11 field goal attempts, grabbed seven rebounds, three steals and three assists.
• Sanders and Freeman both came off the bench, helping Rutgers establish a 41-16 advantage in bench points.
• D.J. Foreman tied his career high with eight rebounds. He also had 11 points. It marked his fourth career double-digit scoring game.
• Greg Lewis tied his career-high with nine rebounds.
• Mike Williams had three steals after five thefts in the opener. It was the first time in his career he had back-to-back games with at least three steals.
• Jonathan Laurent had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and six rebounds.
• The game was part of the Men Who Speak Up Main Event. Rutgers will also host Central Arkansas next Saturday as part of the tournament before travelling to Las Vegas for the Heavyweight Bracket.
• For the second straight game, Rutgers started D.J. Foreman, Jonathan Laurent, Greg Lewis, Bishop Daniels and Mike Williams.
Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan Quotes
Opening Statement: "I'm very pleased with the outcome. There were a lot of good things that we did. We followed the game plan pretty much as far as attacking their zone and getting our pressure up. Those were two areas where that was an emphasis. Our interior passing was spotty at times. We're consistently looking for it and trying to make plays in the paint and I thought we did a pretty good job of it. Our pressure, even though we didn't get a lot of steals in the front court, our pursuit and our protection forced the tempo, forced them to miss shots and forced some bad plays and turnovers in the backcourt. I liked the way we finished. We had freshmen on the court and sometimes they don't understand clock and score and how to use that to your advantage."
On the debut of Corey Sanders: "It was a good game for him. He needs to learn how to be more disciplined in guarding. I liked his offense a lot better than I liked his defense. He can be better defensively than he can be offensively. But that takes a lot of discipline. He found people in the paint and looked for his teammates. We're a good passing team and are unselfish."
On the play of Mike Williams: "What he needs to do is understand what he needs to do with those steals. He had one or two steals or offensive rebounds and he tried to put it up against four 6-7 guys. You can't do that. Learn what to do with those. Pull out, reset or you get a steal and convert. It's tough. I don't want him to get a steal and go back or take a bad shot. He needs to do something with those steals and capitalize on them."
On the play of Justin Goode: "He's solid. He has an ability to make shots. I like when he was on the baseline coming of a screen and the defense was say 'shooter, shooter!' They say sometimes the threat is more effective than the action. He allows us to have gaps and has the defense play out to those gaps in the zone so we can see our bigs. He's just a solid player and has gotten better defensively."
Howard Head Coach Kevin Nickelberry Quotes
Thoughts on the game: "We were tired halfway through the first half, but had to find a way to get our legs underneath us. I thought we competed. They shot 23 free throws in the first half and got us in foul trouble. They weren't making a lot of shots, but were getting to the free throw line. They are a really physical team and Eddie (Jordan) did a good job of getting the ball inside. They were playing to their strength by getting it inside - we wanted them to shoot a lot of jump shots. My hat goes off to him for getting to the middle of our zone. They are a good team and get after it, the way I think Eddie wants them to. It was a successful day for them."
On the physicality of the game: "It was a physical game and (the officials) were calling them on both ends. Obviously from a flow standpoint, I though the free throws affected both team's flow. There were so many stoppages that our guards couldn't get going. That was an issue for us, but we had to push through."
On mentality of the team: "We were going to fight. This team has been playing together for three years and have been through the learning stages. We are going to fight. This is not the Howard team that most people think or know of. We have some talented kids and I don't see many games we are not going to be in. We are going to have a chance every night. Today Rutgers was the better team."
